World Population Day: Students learn key to balanced growth

The Health Department organised a district-level event to mark World Population Day at the Government Post Graduate College, Chamba. Officiating principal Rakesh Rathore was chief guest on the occasion.

The event featured an awareness camp, besides speech and poster-making competitions aimed at educating students about population explosion and the importance of family planning.

Addressing the students, CR Thakur, Mass Education and Communication Officer, highlighted the adverse impact of overpopulation on society. “Issues such as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, gender-based violence, human rights violations and migration are directly linked to uncontrolled population growth,” he said.

He emphasized the need to promote small family norms and adopt temporary and permanent family planning methods such as condoms, oral contraceptives, male and female sterilisation.

Winners of the speech competition were Tamanna (first), Chintan (second) and Monika (third). In the poster-making competition, Gauriki secured the first position, followed by Niharika and Akshita. All participants were honoured with prizes by the college principal.

The Chief Medical Officer appreciated the collaborative efforts to create awareness among youth and stressed the need for ongoing educational initiatives to address population issues effectively.